Man City banned for next two Champions League opens the door up for Arsenal.
It has been announced that Manchester City has been banned by UEFA from competing in the Champions League in 2020/21 and 2021/22.
The Premier League is allowed to enter four teams into next seasons competition and with City almost certain to finish in the top four that means the team that finishes fifth is sure to be invited as England’s fourth representative.
Now, all this will be subject to many appeals by City and they will be taking their case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, however, as things stand right now, fifth place is now basically a Champions League qualification spot.
This has yet to be confirmed by the Premier League but it is hard to see any other outcome.
Arsenal currently is just eight points behind fifth-placed Sheffield United with a game in hand. A win over Newcastle United on Sunday reduces that deficit to just five points. That is well within reach.
If this all pans out and the ban is confirmed it breathes new life into Arsenal’s quest to make next seasons Champions League. It still remains a tall order but far from being insurmountable and certainly a lot better than it looked this morning.
5th place trophy
How far have we fallen, we don’t deserve it so I hope they only allow 3 English teams
Premier League gets 4 spots and in fact, if the Premier League decided they could award them to the bottom four in the league. It is only tradition that says top four qualify, there is no actual strict rule. Years ago Real Madrid finished 5th and were handed a spot by La Liga and the team in 4th was pushed out and we all remember Tottneham when they finished 4th lol
It would not matter in the slightest to Arsenal if the top 7 qualify for the Champions League, Arteta would need to secure the services of Guardiola as his assistant for there to be any chance of that squad being good enough to qualify!
Now Sheffield United and Wolves on the other hand……
YNWA.
YNWA???
He must be a Liverpool fan Sue 😂😂
Urgh….
Guessing he’s not on your Christmas card list now then? 😂
Usually these bans are overturned, AC Milan was once banned from the champions League and went on to win it lol Chelsea’s transfer ban was also quashed 🙄 known our luck we’ll finish 5th and Man City will be reinstated 😂
Well that’s p****d on my cornflakes, cheers Kev 😂
Haha sorry to be the bearer of bad news Sue 😂😂
As a result, Milan was initially punished with a 15-point deduction and was banned from the 2006–07 UEFA Champions League. An appeal saw that penalty reduced to eight points, which allowed the club to retain its Champions League participation 😂
This is a very different situation and City’s crime far more serious.
You’re probably right Admin but City are appealing the decision so we’ll only know for certain after the appeal is reviewed
Absolutely and CAS are very independent. But I am very confident that the nature of what City did, misleading and cover-up as exposed in internal emails, makes it very difficult for CAS not to uphold the ban or at least only reduce by a max of one year. But you are right, we will have to wait and see.
@Admin my guess would be a ban reduction, I honestly hope the ban is upheld as it will be a stern warning to other clubs who try to cheat the system and as you said CAS are very independent so their decision will be final.
The Star are getting carried away, saying about a possible points reduction and even being dumped to play in league 2!!!
Not just the Star but also the independent. It seems that the PL has to sign up to the same FFP before they can compete in Uefa sanctioned competitions and then the PL hands out licences to clubs to compete in the PL based on those FFP rules. UEFA will expect and demand that the PL acts. A points deduction is highly likely.
Still be tough though, Kev, the more I think of it…. and if we drop points on Sunday 🙄
Leicester are down to 10, surely Wolves will win?
Well it’s almost over Sue I was hoping for a Leicester win as we won’t catch up on them. Oh we can’t drop anymore points we need to go on a run of wins now Sue and Europa League is the horizon we have to find some form soon 😮
*on the horizon
It wouldn’t be the first time City are playing in the lower league’s 😉 looking at the table I just can’t believe that we are 8 points behind Sheffield United, this can’t happen again a club the size of Arsenal it’s ridiculous!
The table ain’t pretty viewing, Kev!!
Looking forward to Sunday though! Been too long.
I hate looking at it Sue 🙄 are you attending this Sunday ? Did you see the hull game it was a classic 😂😂
No… next weekend – just to see Iwobi 😂
4-4!! And that was after selling Grosicki and Bowen!!!
Haaland’s drought only lasted 1 game!
Who needs bowen and Grosicki when you have leo da Silva lopes 😂😂 haha so Everton next I guess you’ll be hoping Theo makes an appearance too ? 😂😂 Haha one game drought the pressure must be showing already 😂
I disagree completely. AC Milan pulled themselves out of this season Europa League because they knew they were facing a ban for breaking FFP, Chelsea did serve a one window transfer ban, PSG Barcelona and Real Madrid all served transfer bans. City can only use CAS to get banned reduced or erased. If they go to civilian courts FIFA then steps in and will ban their players from international football, there is a precedent with this. This is very serious for City and at best they will miss next seasons UCL. 5th place will get UCL football.
I don’t know why we keep talking about championship league football when we know we ate not strong enough to compete in the championship league. We are still struggling to make it through in the Europa league so how do you expect us to fair in the championships league.. Huh
Mate you need to know the difference between the champions league and the championship. The championship is the 2nd tier league after the premier league in england.. Don’t confuse the two
We need that qualification because our finances is in dire conditions. So much money wasted in wenger last years and emery with bad buys, horrible contracts negociations and player selling.
i compare deloitte financial report every year and we have gone from 3rd richest clubs in England to 6th which mirrors us dropping out of top 4. Our commercial revenue was already bad compared to our potential as a huge club and the lack of champions league completely wrecked our finances.
City will have to sell Some of their senior players ( BYE BYE AGUERO he will be 33/34 )no point keeping them if they are not competing for the CL no point renewing contracts of players who will be sold in two year time, they will have a huge spending spree in two years time
Finally the Manchester City chickens have come home to roost! Shaddy dealings and unfair competitive advantage. PSG should be next to recieve a ban, €200M for Neymar and €150M for Mbappe they must have done something fishy there!
PSG didn’t pay anything for Neymar, they got him on a free transfer and they don’t pay him huge wages.
Neymar had a buyout clause in his Barcelona contract. Under Spanish law it’s the player that buys out their contract, not the club they are joining. It doesn’t matter where the player gets the money from as long as it’s paid.
The Qatar Foundation (basically a country) own PSG so the Qatar Foundation gave Neymar the money to buy out his contract making him a free agent leaving PSG to sign him on a free.
The Qatar Foundation then offered him stupid money to become an ambassador for them to top up his wages at PSG.
All that said he actually cost PSG nothing and the Qatar Foundation pay the bulk of his wages. Although it’s sounds very suspect PSG haven’t breached any FFP rules in respect to his signing.
Man City deserve the ban for cheating UEFA and next should be PSG. There should be a strict rule for everyone otherwise only the rich Clubs with Sheikhs and Oil tycoons will rule football. Arsenal can surely target the 5th place for a spot in the CL.
I’d rather see the next were Chelsea.
At least City’s and PSG’s money is not stolen one like Roman’s.
They’ve done more than just breach FFP, they’ve cooked their books and lied to UEFA, and they’ve been caught red-handed. I’m sure PSG HAVE done the same along with other clubs. Mainly the Spanish giants, but UEFA will always punish the Oil Clubs over their main money makers in Barca and Real.
Please do not get your hopes up that we can finish in fifth place as it will not happen!. We are IMO unlikely to finish even 7th, though we have a slim chance, but NOT of fifth!
AdmIn MARTIN , YOU SAY THAT A POINTS DEDUCTION FOR CITY IS HIGHLY LIKELY. Just cannot agree, as a serious betting man who always looks soberly and realistically at odds of all possible happenings before I bet. My take is that a points deduction is extremely unlikely and City have access to the best world corporate lawyers. I would agree that morally City should LOSE POINTS, EVEN BE RELEGATED. But it is just NOT going to happen , in the real world,where I LIVE! Much as I and probably every Gooner in the world would love it. Don’t know about Sue though; she seems to like City, for some odd reason!
Ah, Jon, just like you I also make some very good money from betting and will be cleaning up in the Southampton Burnley game shortly and just like you, I also do in-depth research. Now, if CAS upholds the ban then the only option left to City is the Swiss supreme court, however, FIFA does not allow such things to happen and will ban England from the world cup if the Premier League does not enforce sanctions. There is a clear precedent with this, just google “Sion ban Fifa” Therefore, the PL has zero option other than to implement sanctions. Why would they be obligated to do such a thing? Because the PL is obligated under FFP to issue sanctions that is why, they have signed up to the agreement to do such things. The info is all out there Jon, trust me, I know what I am speaking of here. All the lawyers in the world will not help City if CAS upholds the ban and the PL have zero choice but to follow suit.
No Jon, she just hates Liverpool so wants City to win the league
Well good luck to her with THAT one. She will need more than luck though. She will need a plague of locusts to descend on Anfield and kill their club. Personally, I cannot stand a corruptly owned and administered club like City, even though I greatly admire and like Pep and admire nearly all their players too. As for Liverpool, I am convinced I am “deeply in love” with Klopp” To think our club COULD have had him instead but for the DINOSAURS in charge at that time.